Because I'm a Sucker for a Happy Ending
by Eternamente
Summary: AU Yaoi /Riku.Sora/ /?.?/ A series of oneshots all derived from one simple notion... that I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Sometimes they're a couple, sometimes they're just in love, and sometimes it's all just silly.
1. Distressed

**From Eternamente -- **_Updating this author's note. First off... WOW I didn't expect this one-shot to get this much fanfare lol. Thank you all for the reviews and multiple favourites. Fifteen or so reviews at this time, but they all came at once... I was quite surprised, and gracious to have received them. __My new story, Enigma, was met with an equal amount of positive feedback. I'm quite excited to be writing that story, now._

_This is now revised as a series of one-shots. All of them encompass one single idea... that I'm a sucker for a happy ending. A common trend will also have Sora and Riku as an already-established couple, but I'll mix it up a bit as well here and there. Sometimes they may start off sad, sometimes they may be silly, and sometimes they may be just adorable, but overall they each will have a happy ending. No evil cliffhangers, either! These are all one-shots hehe. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer -- **_The usual stuff. Property of Disney and Square, et cetera._

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**Story One -- Distressed**

It started out as such a perfect day; Riku and I spent the whole day together. First we went out to lunch at that new restaurant a few towns over, and then we saw an early movie. It was a horror movie, and although I hate the gore and violence… the chance to get very close to Riku during the scary parts was always nice. He'd calm me down, and for a brief moment he was my knight in shining armour warding the evil from me. After that we did a bit of shopping at the mall, and then we came home. And now…

…and now here I am tied to my bed with a very angry man hovering over me.

This wasn't supposed to happen…

We were supposed to come inside, we'd put everything away, and then we'd flop on the couch for an afternoon of doing nothing together. Then we'd probably go out to dinner, because honestly, after a day of doing nothing, who really wants to cook? We'd probably go have Italian, and then come back home complaining about how much we ate. And then we'd probably have Tidus and some other friends over and party into the night.

…and here I am, tied to my bed… with a man in a leather mask taking in my scent of fear.

I had come inside with Riku, and he excused himself to use the bathroom. After a quick kiss he was gone to leave me alone to unload all of the things we bought that day. Some new glasses, a new microwave (the old one had just… er… well, blown up is such a strong word. How was I supposed to know you couldn't microwave one of those popcorn things that go over a fireplace?), and some other new things that we really needed (especially the cookies). After a few moments of being lost in my own little world of 'this goes here, this goes there,' I began to wonder where Riku was. I poked around our home here and there, thinking how silly he was being calling me lazy all the time and he's the one dumping this job on me. It's my job to dump things on him! I turned the corner and out of nowhere this masked man attacked me! I struggled, though… but he's too strong. He bound my hands and ripped my clothes off and threw me into my bedroom.

…and now here I am, tied to my bed… and the man has a belt in his hands.

"I hope you enjoy pain, little boy," the man sneered as he slapped together the belt. I could feel my eyes growing wide… why did this have to happen to me? Poor naïve little Sora gets in trouble again… I could just imagine the news being passed around town. Innocent little Sora… raped in his own bedroom.

"I.. Riku…" I tried to stifle the tears, but I couldn't help it! Who knows where Riku was. Was he hurt? Was he in pain? Did I remember to put the cookies away?

"Riku's not here," the man grinned as he leaned down and licked a trail from my stomach to my chest, taking pleasure in tasting the very essence of my being. "I'm going to take you, little boy, and make you mine forever." I tried my hardest not to give him my satisfaction, but I can't help myself sometimes. It's so frightening being in this situation, but if you give them what they want they might not hurt you…

"Ri… Ri…" my mind began to wander elsewhere. And especially… towards the bathroom.

"Enjoying your last moments of pleasure, boy?" the man cackled as he nipped along my inner thighs. His hands were ravenous upon my legs and rear...

"Kumquat," I stuttered out.

"What?"

"Kumquat!" I shouted, trying to wriggle free from the handcuffs. "Kumquat, kumquat, kumquat!!!"

Within a moment the man had tore off his mask to reveal a beautiful head of flowing silver hair. The man's brilliant aquamarine eyes narrowed in annoyance towards my own sapphire eyes. "Dammit, Sora… why the safe word? What's wrong?"

"I have to go pee," I mumbled sheepishly.

Riku sighed and undid the restraints bounding my hands and feet to the bedposts and rubbed his forehead vigorously as I scampered off to the bathroom. Riku can be quite surprising, quite spontaneous, and incredibly sexy, but he really needs to start considering my needs before he springs up something like that. I mean… he JUST let me have two large sodas. I can't hold that in!

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_Reviews are always more than welcome... they help me write better in the long run, and give me the motivation to continue. It's one thing to favourite a story; it's another to tell me just why you're doing so. Thanks!_


	2. Broken Picture

**From Eternamente -- **_Story two of my one-shot collection. This was in response to my dear friend Katraa who, one of her recent story chapters at the time of this writing, requested a one-shot based off of a single idea; broken picture frames. I admit, I cheated... I only talked about one broken picture frame lol. However, I can't let this story remain locked away. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer -- **_Kingdom Hearts owned by Square and Disney, blah blah blah. I think by now this is established. yes? I should stop including this then... but... it gives me an outlet for some humour..._

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**Story Two -- Broken Picture**

Moonlight shone in from the night sky to just barely make out the figure of a whimpering brunet curled up in his bed. Lightly tanned arms cradled his own lithe form as he huddled under the protective blanket. A picture frame was shattered on the ground, the owner's care for it lost in a brief moment of heartache. Sapphire eyes flooded with an ocean of tears as he strangled out moans of sadness into his pillow.

"How could you do that," he barely stammered out between sniffles as he continued to wail into his pillows. "I just wanted to be closer..."

The picture frame was a treasure from childhood. Not because of it's kind; in fact, it was one of your everyday run-of-the-mill tan picture frames with painted seashells decorated about it's corners. The frame was now taken apart, and the glass was in ruins. The photograph inside was now scratched and ruined, but the figures of a young brunet boy and a slightly taller platinum blond boy could be made out. It was a fond memory captured in stillness; the two were building a sand castle upon the beach, and one of the boys' mothers had snuck in for a candid shot with a camera.

The photograph contained perhaps one of Sora's most treasured memories of himself and the blond boy named Riku; not a few moments afterwards, Sora had professed a deep longing for the other. The two were young kids, so Riku simply had accepted it. However now that they were teenagers the circumstances were different. Both of them knew what love was, and they also knew what was taboo. Sora had hoped that their friendship was so strong that the two could take it to the next level. So, after a day of friendly nothings the two were alone in Sora's bedroom. The two sat on the bed, and Sora began pouring his heart out to his friend. Maybe it was how Sora said it, or maybe it was the timing, but Riku completely freaked out.

"You're GAY?!" Riku cried out in surprise as Sora's memory replayed the scene. "I can't believe it… I gotta go," he had mumbled as he hurried out of the bedroom and Sora's home. The brunet slumped to the ground, and in a rare fit of rage he had sent every trinket and token upon his dresser crashing to the ground. He then slumped into bed, and this is where he lay for the past few hours.

"How… how can I even face him now?" Sora wailed even harder. In a moment his one true love and best friend was gone from his life, and the boy now only wished he had kept his feelings to himself. He'd still have the friendship at least if he had only kept his true feelings locked away. But Sora knew he wouldn't have been able to. His heart was an open book, and Riku would have found out soon enough, one way or another.

Suddenly a draft flowed into his darkened bedroom, but the boy didn't pay any attention to it. A figure bent down to pick up the discarded picture frame and sighed. "You know, Sora," the voice spoke aloud, causing Sora to suddenly turn to face the intruder. "You shouldn't be throwing precious memories to the ground like that. They might break."

"Ri… Riku? What are you doing here?" Sora stammered as the taller boy set the picture frame onto the dresser and took a seat at the end of the brunet's bed. Cautiously, Riku then scooted over to where Sora laid and pulled him into a comforting hug. "I thought… I thought you hated me?" Sora questioned.

"I remember when that picture was taken," Riku said lowly as he rubbed Sora's back ever-so-comfortingly. The sensations were doing crazy things to the confused brunet, but he set that aside for the sake of listening to the other. "We were five and six, and we were just silly kids. But you told me you loved me. I didn't know it at the time, but I loved you too." Sora's eyes grew wide, but in the darkness Riku couldn't see the gesture to react, and so he continued. "I guess earlier I was just scared. No one's really told me they loved me, or wanted to be with me, or anything." He then laughed before continuing, "I never expected it to be my best friend, either, let alone my best male friend. But, I'm glad you had the courage to say it. It's what I love about you… you just cast away your fears and put your heart out there. I never would have said it first." He then cupped Sora's chin with his own hand. "I would have spent my entire life wondering what this was like." He then leaned down to place a chaste kiss upon Sora's inviting lips. "I never want to make you cry again. I'm sorry for how I reacted, Sora, and I love you, too. Thank you for being stronger than me."

"Riku, I…" Sora began but was immediately cut off again as Riku climbed under the blankets with the boy and began to show the youth just how much he truly loved the little brunet.

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The next morning Sora awoke to find himself arm in arm and body to body with the one he had loved since early childhood. The burnet mused to himself just how angelic the other looked while fast asleep. A feeling of extreme contentment swelled in his heart; sure it had been a rocky confession, but in the end Riku did return his feelings, and apologized for how he reacted. Sora certainly wasn't one to begrudge that, especially after such a delicious night. Sora then glanced over at the abruptly clean dresser, and then sighed. "Shit, now I have to buy a new picture frame."

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_I can't bring myself to post a lemon. I can elude to it. I can mention it. I can even go the cheap way and joke about the actual citrus... but I can't actually post one. Some day I might... but... where's the fun in that? It's more fun letting your imaginations run wild. In any event, reviews are wonderful! A cookie per review, I say!_

_...Sora plushie per review? And a plot bunny for me per review as well. Yes, I like this trade-off._


	3. Pinky Promise

**From Eternamente -- **_This is actually a very spontaneous one-shot I wrote today (my birthday, yay). I was looking over some reviews for this story, and saw a review that gave me an idea. So, this is dedicated to the endearing Kane-chan. She mentioned that she'd like something having to do with a secret spot and such... well, this probably isn't exactly what she had in mind, but this still derived from it. What better secret spot than the actual secret spot, eh? So, this is a bit of low-key fluff, but with a happy ending. It's also set within the game world, and I'm glad I finally had the proper inspiration to write an in-character story with them actually in the game's environment. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer -- **_The usual stuff. Property of Disney and Square, et cetera._

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**Story Three -- Pinky-Promise**

The sheer irony of it was baffling to those who knew the future.

On the one hand we have Riku. Broody and angst-ridden, he chose to while away his hours dangling idly upon the paopu tree out in full view of the sunshine. On the other hand we have Sora. Cheerful and sincere, he chose to while away his hours drawing countless pictures deep within a darkened cave that housed a strange door to the unknown. How ironic that the two preferred to meditate, so to speak, in the opposite environments that their hearts would eventually lead them.

The two were best of friends, though, and they had vowed long ago when they were still young that nothing would ever come between them. Not a hurricane, not being forced to move, not even a dinosaur. Well, they were five-years-old when that promise was made, so of course a dinosaur wasn't a far-fetched idea for the children. In any event, nothing would ever come between them; they pinky-promised on that, and nothing is more sacred than a pinky-promise.

Then Kairi came into the picture.

She was an instant hit for the two boys, and the two suddenly had a friendly rivalry going right from the start. Both boys vied long and hard for more attention from the sweet little girl Riku would invite her to spend time with him on his paopu tree, and Sora would invite her into his cave to doodle upon the walls, but in the end she couldn't help but split her attention across both boys. Her young heart was too pure to choose one over the other, although time would have her teenage heart gravitating a little bit more in favour of the little brunet. Kairi was growing up, and she was falling in love.

How tragic that her love would be unrequited.

Kairi thought that Sora had drawn her on the wall of the cave that one day. She had drawn a pretty good representation of the object of her affection, but Sora's heart was elsewhere. A poorly drawn face stared back across the cave to the Sora-drawing. Kairi wouldn't know until it was too-late that Sora drew someone else they knew and cared for. How naïve she had been all that time.

For you see in all of those years of competing and fighting Riku and Sora felt a different need for attention, not from Kairi, but from each other. Riku would triumph, and Sora would try just as hard to gain his friend's admiration. Sora would be incredible, and Riku could not help but take notice. The two boys were growing up, and they were longing to be with one another. Neither could admit it, though, for fear of rejection or even worse. Once in a while one or the other boy would wake up in a cold sweat, having had a nightmare of the other rejecting them and shunning them for their admission of a taboo love. How ironic that the two didn't have the courage to stand up to doubt, but they had the courage for their endeavors.

The darkness came, and Riku gave in. He allowed it to engulf him, and as much as it pained Sora he just couldn't follow Riku. How he wished he could have, but his heart knew Riku was wrong and that his silver-haired friend would someday regret his choice. For what seemed like an eternity Sora fought through countless worlds in search of Kairi, but more importantly, for his Riku. The worlds thanked Sora, now a hero of light, but all he wanted was to finally have Riku back so he could finally confess his true innermost thoughts.

How heartbreaking it must have been for Sora. He wouldn't get the opportunity for that until about two years after the chaos began. Magic and keyholes, different worlds and incredible adventures. A genie of the lamp, a wilting rose, the sights of London, a magic carpet ride, a gummi ship, a frantic search in a castle etched into the edge of twilight, Heartless, Nobodies, enigmatic organization members bent on exploiting Sora's newfound powers for their own means... all of this and more became a part of the young brunet's everyday life. He found magic in his new friends, a duck named Donald and a dog named Goofy. They weren't replacements for Riku and Kairi -- they could never be -- but they were welcome additions to his heart. He wished every moment of every step of every new journey that Riku was right by his side. And after all of the heartache and after all of the chaos, he finally got his wish.

Finally Sora was reunited with an older Riku in a world that should never have existed. They were both older, both wiser, both more-refined, and definitely both more-attractive, but they both shared a knowing smile that sang to each other. This was the home of the Nobodies, and to finally touch Riku again here was bittersweet. He cried. Sora, the light of the worlds, wept, and Riku could not help but feel remorse for having to hide. But he nor the Keyblade master could not confess, not yet. The war was not over, and the two boys were on the front lines. Once everything was over they could finally be together.

After what seemed like an eon, Xemnas was finally defeated. It wasn't long before the two heroes finally landed in their homeland of Destiny Islands after a two-year absence. It was almost as if they had never left.

Almost.

Riku and Sora now laid curled up in Sora's secret cave, far away from the prying eyes of the other residents. The paopu tree would be left for the pair and Kairi to lounge upon, but for these special moments the privacy of the cave suited them just fine. The world can be a judgmental place, but for now the two could finally be content with just being in each other's arms. No cheesy lines had to be spoken, and no murmurs of sweet nothings had to be whispered. It was as if the confession never needed to be said. After two years of searching for each other, and to finally find each other, and to finally be back to normal (in a sense of the term), the confession they so feared speaking out loud didn't even need to be said. Riku and Sora were together, and they would never let that go. They just knew that they were meant for each other.

_"We'll go together."_

_"Yeah."_

"Sora?" Riku finally broke the comfortable silence the two boys shared.

"Yeah, Riku?" The brunet curiously glanced up from the aforementioned boy's lap. The two had been content to just holding each other for several hours, neither one of them wishing to part ways for the day. Perhaps one day the two could be more-public about their affection, but for now this was all they needed.

Riku fussed with his words before breaking down and becoming very uncharacteristic. "Promise we'll always be together? I never want to lose you again."

Sora smiled his trademark smile before stretching his hand over to Riku's own and interlacing their pinkies. "It's a pinky-promise," he softly responded as the elder gripped Sora's pinky with his own. "Not even a dinosaur can break us apart."

Riku chuckled in relief before placing a delicate kiss atop Sora's spiky head. "That's all I needed to hear." And the two laid together just like that for hours into the evening, pinkies intertwined all the while.

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_As always, reviews are lovely. Thanks much for putting up with my sporadic updates lol. Moving and such very soon, so I'm foregoing updating my major stories as they involve heavy plotwork that I don't have the time to sit down and iron out at this time. So, rather than crank out something worthy of toilet paper, I'm saving my inspiration so it can tumble forth from my new residence. Updates for Angel's Savior and Enigma are planned, and I have a humourous story in-the-works as well. Until Eternity is sadly on a little bit of a hiatus; it's a complex story that I felt dragged out (although necessary to foreshadow and setup) and it will take me quite a bit of time before I can really focus on updating that. Enigma is slated to be about the same size as the first part of Angel's Savior; not very long, but not too-short. Anyway, enough of my rambling. Thanks for checking in! And I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did; it didn't take long to write, and I'm glad I got to write a light yaoi set in the actual video game world ;)_


	4. Coincidence

**From Eternamente -- **_Trying something new this time... it isn't very often that I write in first-person format. It also isn't very often that I kind of mis-characterize Sora, either. In any event, you can imagine Sora as kind of a posh version of himself... early on in his life his family inherits a fortune, but he is one of those responsible rich types rather than a silly trust-fund baby. So, the point of view is a bit drab, but it has some subtle humour in it. Anyway, not my normal writing, and not my normal characterization of Sora, but I hope you enjoy it._

**Disclaimer -- **_In the yaoi justice system, sexually based offences are considered especially awesome. On Destiny Islands, the dedicated pair of bishies who investigate these glomp-worthy moments are members of an elite squad known as the Special Smexyhawt Unit. These are their stories._

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**Story Four -- Coincidence**

It's funny how things work out for the better, despite 'things' having a weird sense of humor in regards to just how exactly they work out. I don't know. I don't really understand coincidence, but I am certainly glad it exists.

Perhaps I should explain.

Riku and I were childhood friends growing up on sunny Destiny Islands. We were inseparable, despite how much we rivaled each other. Riku had a superiority complex, and I was catching up to his discomfort. In any event, we played our silly games… sparring and the like. He beat me a lot during our early years, but the gap soon closed. We had a good tie going for a long time. That is, until the day my parents decided to move.

That was just the worst day ever.

So, I said good-bye and had myself a cry as we all packed ourselves into my father's Volvo. You see, my grandfather passed away and left his entire estate to my father, which included a very nice new home. My grandfather was a wealthy tycoon who had a knack for the stock market, but my father was an independent and didn't want to rely on his father's money. In the end, it was the boon that gave us financial freedom. We miss grandfather, of course, but he certainly left us a wonderful gift.

But all of the money in the world couldn't give me Riku back.

I went to the most-exclusive schools that money could afford. We were so rich that we were the people Bill Gates called upon whenever he needed to borrow a few dollars. My father wound up investing even more money than my grandfather did, and as it turns out my father was even more of a genius at it than his father before him. I was to inherit my father's money as well, and in turn I would most likely invest it just in the same fashion. Perhaps I'd be even more of a genius at it? Who knows… it's not mine to play with yet, not that I'm in a hurry to.

Regardless, Riku and I did manage to keep in touch over the years, but somewhere along the line we fell out of touch. This was right before college, too. I did, however, know which school he was going to, and my name could get me the presidential suite in the White House, so…

I arrived at Riku's college, Destiny Island University. He had talked about this place for years, and I was anxious to see him again after all of this time. I found out his room number, knocked on his door to surprise him, and was surprised myself to see him straddling some pink-haired man. Deciding that it wasn't a very good time I quickly walked out of Riku's room and planned to walk out of his life for good.

That sight just killed me. I should have been the pink-haired man. Only with brown hair. Or something.

I immediately transferred myself to Harvard and studied law. I was always a sucker for cheap mystery novels, and Law & Order reruns. Especially Special Victim's Unit. That show is a drug. Anyway, I eventually graduated with top honors and was invited to partner into a very lucrative law firm. Granted, my family's money had a little bit to do with that, but who am I to complain? A career for now, and my retirement was guaranteed to be comfortable. My life was perfect.

Almost.

You know, it's funny how irony can bring out the worst in me. Or is it best of me. I don't make the rules, I just follow them. Anyway, can you believe it? My firm's latest client is none other than Riku, and I have taken it upon myself to personally oversee his case. Since college he's become quite the author with a net worth that nearly rivals my own. Nearly. He's suing the pink-haired man who he was straddling that one horrid day way back when.

Riku apologized to me; he didn't want to tell me about Marluxia because he felt guilty. He loved only me, but he needed someone at the time. After having not seen me for so long, he didn't think we would ever be together. He also had no idea I was going to go to Destiny Island University. In the end, Marluxia was nothing more than a leech out for Riku's money. Marluxia didn't love Riku, Riku didn't love Marluxia, and he only loves me.

Riku asked me out the other day. I told him no.

…what? It's very unprofessional to go out with the client you're representing in a major case.

…it will simply have to wait until I've taken Marluxia for everything he's worth so that Riku and I can have our happily ever after without that home wrecker spoiling it for us.

…which shouldn't be too long, considering I have him on two counts of embezzlement and can pin him to several other crimes.

I forgive you, Riku. And I've missed you, too.


	5. Chilly

**From Eternamente -- **_Merry Christmas to one and all. Quite frankly, my Christmas isn't going so hot... literally. My computer is somewhat on the fritz; I had gotten rid of a few trojans with my virus scanner, but somehow that disabled usage of Internet Explorer, AOL Instant Messenger, and a few other programs. Somehow Netscape and Trillian are working, though, so all hope isn't exactly lost. That aside (I'll most likely have to reformat my computer after the holidays, but first I want to back-up all of my writing, because that's irreplacable) more tragedy has befallen me, so to speak. I won't give details here, but my "tragedy" is discussed in this story... so, you can gather what happened to me. My pain is your reading enjoyment!_

**Disclaimer -- **_Riku and Sora can light my fire. Alas, I do not own them... I can only toy with them._

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**Story Five -- Chilly**

"Hey, Riku, hurry up with those bags," a short brunet called out as he plopped a few bags onto the living room couch and scurried off into the depths of the small house, leaving a delicate trail of wet footprints. It had been a rainy few days in late November, but it appeared to finally be letting up and coming down in nothing more than a drizzle.

"Coming (grunt) your (groan) majesty," the aforementioned silver-haired sex god barely managed to call back as he lifted not one, not two, but at least five containers into the house. Riku normally didn't do kindly favors such as helping someone move into their new home, but there again Sora wasn't just any person. Sora was the kind of boy you would bend over backwards for so that your lips could kiss your heels. He was the kind of boy where you could go all your life denouncing the existence of magic, but the moment he shows you a cheap parlor trick you're hooked. He was the kind of boy you would single-handedly suffer bringing in several boxes and bags in for, because he was too busy skipping ahead to bake some cookies to, as he so put it, to 'invite homely warmth into this new house.'

Moments later Riku finally entered the humble abode to deposit the cartons in the foyer. Stretching, he finally glanced around the place. He took a moment in awe at how beautiful the place looked with it's new furniture and lush carpeting. And, of course, touches of Sora's personality everywhere. He was with Sora when the brunet was first checking the place out. Sora had made a killing through the stock market recently (how Sora ever managed to get a hold of several shares of Starbucks in this day and age, Riku would never know), and decided to move out of his stuffy apartment into a roomier home. Riku had to admit, he had a slight pang of jealousy for his friend. Here Riku was slaving away at his desk job, and Sora was a stock market tycoon living a carefree life. Despite the obvious differences in their bank accounts, the two have remained steadfast friends ever since childhood. It's only natural that by now, now that they were both young adults, the two would have an air of sexual tension between them. Especially since for the past few months… years… okay, so he forgot when it began… Riku had been harboring a crush he had on a certain spiky-haired brunet.

How devious that sexual tension can be.

There are times where Riku swears Sora knows of their tension. Like how Sora always oh-so-nonchalantly falls asleep in Riku's lap as they watch the late late late show. Or how Sora brings Riku clothing shopping and always manages to flash the silveret a bit of skin in the process. Or how a simple touch from the other can cause even the studly Riku to blush the faintest shade of scarlet. Or…

"Riku, are you inside yet?" Sora called out from the kitchen. Of course he was calling out from the kitchen; there was no mistaking the telltale sounds of Sora cooking. Pots and pans were clanging, curses were silently mumbled, and a faint cloud of flour was seeping from the room.

"Yeah," Riku called back. "I'm here."

"So, what do you think? The movers did a pretty good job," Sora chirped as he headed over to his friend. The boy was covered in flour, as was normal whenever he tried to bake. Everything he made tasted wonderful, but he still always came out of it as a mess.

"That they did," the silveret agreed. "You might want to… um… clean up a bit," he noted as he gestured at the very white and powdery boy that stood before him.

"Yeah," Sora replied with a chuckle. "Want to come up and join me?"

Riku blushed immediately. "Sora, I think…"

"Oh, I'll just be a minute. I'll hop in the shower, and I'll be squeaky clean in no time," he responded ever-so-innocently, and yet, ever-so-insistently.

"I'll… um… wait down here," Riku insisted in his own way. The thought of being that close to Sora, while said boy was naked, wet, and… you get the picture. Even if it was just a room or two away, the sheer thought of being that close would have given the silveret a heart attack.

Sora sighed half-heartedly (wait, did he actually want Riku to come upstairs while he showered?) and trudged upstairs while Riku followed his nose into the kitchen to not only gain insight into what his friend was baking, but to also clean up the mess his friend had surely left. Sure enough dirty pots, pans, mixing bowls, mixing spoons, and just about Sora's entire kitchen was splayed across the counters awaiting someone who cared enough to clean it all up for him. Namely, Riku.

Riku turned on the hot water in the sink as he prepared what dishes he'd put into the dishwasher first. He was always the type who washed his dishes first, at least to rinse them free of too much food, so that when he put them through the dishwasher they would come out as flawless as his complexion. Sora always teased him for that, and called him 'anal.' Riku could never figure out if there was an underlying tone to that remark. Regardless, Sora never did complain about his spotless dishware whenever Riku did them for him.

Grabbing a sponge and detergent from a bag he had set on the counter earlier that morning he continued on to grab a bowl to start scrubbing. It was then that he made a startling discovery. The water was freezing.

"Hmm, that's not right. I turned on the hot water, didn't I?" Riku thought out loud as he fiddled with the knobs. Sure enough, the one marked "H" remained cold. "How strange…" he began to comment when he heard the most ear-splitting off-key squeak in the history of squeaks. Eyes widening, there was no mistaking the source of the mansqueak: Sora.

"Sora! Sora, are you alright?!" the silveret cried out as he raced up the stairs towards the bathroom. Bursting into the room he found a shaking, shivering, very frazzled-looking Sora standing there wearing nothing more than a towel and a frown. "Sora?" Riku inquired, but then suddenly realized how his friend was dressed. Blushing and quickly turning around, he continued to ask of his friend. "Sora, what happened?"

"The… the water is freezing…" Sora manage to say through chattering teeth.

"Oh," Riku laughed nervously. "I thought some mass murderer was here or something."

"Oh, please, that only happens in cheesy fan fictions," Sora chided between shivers. "Could you kinda… move so I can get dressed?"

"Sure, sure," Riku nodded as he slipped away and shut the door. "I'll go turn on the heat," he called out to receive a simple 'thank you' in response.

Riku meandered down the hall, thinking out loud the whole way. "Thermostat, thermostat. If I were a thermostat, where would I be?" He paused a moment in thought. "I'd be on a wall. Okay then, more specific… where is the thermostat… ah, here it is." Checking the thermostat he was startled to notice that the house's temperature was well below 60 degrees. "Well, that's not good. I thought it felt a bit chilly here." Fiddling with the dial, he turned the heat onto a reasonable setting. Satisfied at his so-called handiwork, he called back to his friend to let him know he would soon be in 'toasty utopia.' What is with these two and their weird phrases for things?

Riku soon found himself in the entertainment room, and began unpacking a box of DVD's. Sora had quite the collection, especially for someone who rarely watched television. A few moments later Sora ambled his way into the room as he pulled on a sweater. "Eesh," he murmured. "It feels colder in here now than before you turned the heat on. Are you sure you turned the heat on, and not the air conditioning?"

"No, I'm pretty sure it was the heat."

"Well, it's chillier in here than Leon's demeanor," Sora quipped, blatantly referring to their very stoic friend.

"I'm sure it just needs a bit of time to kick in. Let's start unpacking some more things… it should warm up in here soon enough," Riku offered as Sora took a few DVD's in his hand and began placing them in empty slots on the shelf.

An hour or so went by before Sora complained again. "Seriously, Riku, I don't think the heat's coming on," he said as he sniffled. Riku hoped his friend wasn't coming down with a cold. First having to lug around heavy boxes in the rain (okay, Riku mostly did that, but Sora helped. Kind of), then a cold shower, and now a cold house. Things weren't getting warmer, either. "You're all handy and such with things. Could you check to see if the heater's working in the basement? I have no idea how to check that sort of thing," the brunet requested, drawing Riku's attention once again.

"Sure," he replied as he abandoned his station amongst an assortment of CD's and other music paraphernalia. "I'll be back in a jiffy." Riku then shuffled over to the basement door, flicked on the light, went downstairs, and with a splash instantly regretted blindly entering the basement.

"SORA!"

A thud, a curse, and then a hurried jog over and Riku suddenly saw his friend's spiky head peek down the stairwell and into his lake of a basement. "Eep," was all he could manage to say as he stood there, slack-jawed, staring into his basement.

Riku managed to fish himself out of the lake, which was really only a few inches deep, and scurried up the stairs. "I think you'd better call someone to take care of all of this," Riku prompted. "I can only guess that the water went up just high enough to snuff out the pilot lights on those things. It makes sense… the hot water is out, as well."

"I'll call someone," Sora responded as he headed towards the kitchen phone.

"And I'll… take off these shoes," Riku sighed as he briefly mourned his brand-new sneakers, now waterlogged.

A few minutes later Sora dejectedly returned to their previous chore of sorting through his entertainment collection.

"So?" Riku eyed his friend carefully as he placed a stack of CD's on the shelf.

"They won't be able to come until tomorrow morning," Sora replied glumly. "What am I supposed to do tonight, though? How am I supposed to stay warm?" Riku smirked internally as he thought of many many ways to keep the young brunet warm. Instead, he found himself offering the boy a night's stay at his own place, to which his friend quickly denied. "No, I can't. The guy'll be here really early, and I don't want to miss him. It was the only appointment I could get, or else he won't be able to come until next week." A week of Sora at his apartment sounded downright wonderful to Riku, but Sora was determined not to let a bit of a chill get the best of him.

"Alright," Riku responded. "I'll spend the night here, then."

"Why?"

"You shouldn't have to suffer a cold night in your new place alone," Riku replied. "We'll just have to make the most of it. Finish up, and we'll go shopping for a few things to make the night easier."

A few minutes later the pair of friends crept into Riku's Jeep. Fortunately Riku had the sense to put the top upon it, although Riku generally had sense enough to do most things properly. He drove Sora to a nearby superstore; the kind where you can find baby carriages and baby carrots all in the same convenient building. "Here we are," Riku stated proudly.

"What are we getting here?"

"Just a few things," Riku replied as he selected a cart and strolled into the building. He quickly went along aisles plucking things into the basket as Sora looked on with curiosity. An electric blanket. A pair of space heaters. A large quilted comforter. And a plethora of other things. "That should help. You can use the space heater in your bed, and we can spend the evening in your entertainment room. I'll sleep in that room, hence the pair of them," Riku explained as he loaded the items onto the conveyor belt for the cashier. He didn't point out that he'd rather just buy the single heater and sleep with Sora, but he knew he'd probably get kicked out for the suggestion.

"Oh, well, alright," Sora replied as he produced a credit card.

"No, no," Riku frowned. "I'll take care of it," he said as he pulled out his own credit card.

"Don't be silly," Sora stated as he made to give his card to the cashier. "These are things I'll be using."

"I'll be using them, too," Riku pointed out as he equally urged his own card to the cashier.

"Would you boys just rather I charge both of your cards?" the cashier intervened as she gestured to the line behind the boys.

"He's buying," Sora muttered as he pocketed his own card. A prideful smile danced upon Riku's face, but was quickly wiped away once he realized just how much the total came to. Sighing, he heaved the bags of odds and ends back into their cart and made for the exit.

A short while later the pair were back at Sora's home setting up the heaters and other knickknacks. "This was a pretty good idea," Sora smiled as he rubbed his hands together before the illuminated heater, it's coils glowing a cool orange.

"Yeah, I know it is," Riku egotistically confessed as he placed the cartons into a nearby closet. Leave it to Riku to keep boxes for every appliance. "So, go select a movie and such. I'm going to head into the kitchen, and I'll bring us back something else to warm us up," Riku grinned as he ushered Sora over to his DVD collection before leaving to keep his word. He headed into the kitchen and warmed some milk over the stove, and poured it into two mugs. He then added the hot chocolate mix. Not the most-romantic of creations, but the thought was obviously there. He proudly brought them back into the entertainment room and handed a mug to Sora. "There you go, hot chocolate. This should warm you right up," Riku mused as Sora graciously accepted the mug.

"Aww…" Sora glumly cooed. "No marshmallows?"

Within moments Riku had taken Sora's mug, and then spent a few minutes in the kitchen searching for marshmallows. After quickly re-heating Sora's hot chocolate in the microwave and adding the marshmallows, he then re-entered the entertainment room to produce Sora's hot chocolate. Now with marshmallows.

"No popcorn?"

Mumbling a few expletives under his breath, Riku found himself once again shuffling about the kitchen in search of popcorn. Any kind of popcorn. Finally he found the kind of popcorn one would heat over an open fire.

"Um, Sora?"

"Yes?" the brunet replied as he absentmindedly sipped his confection.

"I could only find the kind of popcorn you make over a fire."

"Oh…" Sora scratched his head thoughtfully. "I have a fireplace in the living room… think that'd work?"

"Yeah, actually," Riku responded.

"Do you know how to light a fire?" Sora inquired, obviously clueless in how to do as such, and obviously hoping his friend did.

"I… uh… I think so," Riku replied. Now it was his turn to scratch his head. Why, oh why, did he get himself into these situations? Ah, the answer was obvious. Just seeing Sora smile was answer enough.

Minutes later Riku found himself attempting to light a fire in Sora's new fireplace. It took a few tries, but finally the log began to crackle as it lit up in flames. "Perfect," Riku mused as Sora crept beside him to view Riku's handiwork.

"Awesome," Sora chirped as he set his mug down on the floor and plopped himself down next to it. "Let's stay here for a little while and make the popcorn."

"Sure."

Sora produced the popcorn kernels, which were conveniently placed in a pie tin shaped container with a handle upon it. Sora took the handle in his hands and extended the tin over the flames. "This'll be nifty," he murmured as Riku sat beside him. How Riku's heart fluttered as he watched Sora's face light up from the flames. The soft glow gave his friend a striking beauty. Riku leaned in for a moment, and was met with an equal amount of leaning given by none other than Sora. Nerves were getting the best of Riku, but still he and Sora pressed on, caught in the moment. How long had the two remained friends, with sparks of electricity passing through the two? How long had they known each other, caught in this dance of 'what if he doesn't love me's? How long had they suffered? How long has it been since the popcorn container managed to break, causing the tin to fall into the flames with Sora still holding the handle?

"Shit!" Riku glared as he grabbed the tongs from the side of the fireplace. Within moments he managed to fish the popcorn out of the fireplace. "Phew, saved it," Riku smiled proudly once again, but not before the container burst open causing a shower of popcorn to spray into his face.

"Oh my god!" Sora was red in the face and absolutely hysterical, roaring with laughter. "Oh my god, Riku, you should have seen your face! I wish I had my camera. Oh my… hahaha! You were just standing there all high and mighty and the popcorn just popped up into you! It was like confetti!" Sora howled with laughter as he literally rocked back and forth clutching his stomach, and banging his other fist on the floor. "Too funny, oh, too funny…"

A short while later the two were cleaned up and sitting before the space heater in Sora's television room. They opted for one of those silly comedies; the kind where they're all stoners looking for their car or some such like that. Riku scoffed at the title, but Sora simply reasoned that he watched television to rot his brain, not wrack his brain over a plot. Shortly after the movie began Riku came to realize that Sora had somehow gravitated towards him, and had snuggled his head into the crook of Riku's neck.

"Mmm, this is nice," Sora commented as his breathing slowed down.

"Yeah, just two friends watching a movie," Riku said somewhat dejectedly.

"Yeah, just watching a movie with a friend," Sora responded just as dejectedly.

"Just friends," Riku continued.

"Just friends…" Sora murmured as he began to lull into a snooze.

"Sora," Riku sighed.

"Riku," Sora said. "Riku, you wanna move in?"

"Er… what?"

"Do you want to move in?" Sora inquired more sharply as woke himself up.

"Well, I could, but why?"

"Because," Sora began as he situated himself to face his friend. "I'm obviously hopeless without you. I can't make popcorn, I can't start a fire, and I never would have thought to check the basement for a lake."

"Well, I wasn't exactly looking for a lake," Riku reminded Sora, but was quickly cut off.

"Besides, to be honest," Sora blushed. "Riku, I really really like you, and I'm not as oblivious as you think I am."

"Sora…"

"Riku, I want you to live with me, and I want to fall in love with you," Sora confessed. "Today was all coincidence, but it really helped me realize how much I want to be with you. I need someone who can nudge me in the right direction like you do, and more importantly, I just need you."

"Oh, Sora," Riku smiled as he leaned in to place a delicate kiss on Sora's cheek. Not to be outdone, Sora quickly turned Riku's face around so they could kiss each other on the lips. "Sora, love is a strong word, but I think I could live with finding out it's meaning with you."

Sora blushed once again as he settled back to snuggling the crook of Riku's neck. "You know what I'm thinking?"

"No, what are you thinking?" Riku devilishly inquired as he arched an eyebrow.

"I'm thinking that we really didn't need to buy the second space heater," Sora commented oh-so-coyly. "It's not like you're sleeping down here tonight."

* * *

_The good news is that I did manage to get the water pump in the basement up and running, so the water is now gone. A bit later we'll at least get the hot water up and running as well. As for the heater, I believe we need to call someone in... I highly doubt we'll have luck with that until tomorrow._

_I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, those of you who celebrate it. For those of you who don't, I hope today was as wonderful as a holiday. Take care._


End file.
